Former NBA standout Dennis Rodman, who has cultivated a closer relationship to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un than any other American in the world, broke down in tears on CNN describing the death threats he claims to have received for advocating peace between Pyongyang and Washington.

Speaking from Singapore, site of an unprecedented summit between President Donald Trump and Kim, to CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Rodman said he was optimistic that Trump would be able to reach out to Kim.

“If Trump goes in there with his heart on the table … it ain’t got to be about war … we are moving into the future. I told people about Kim Jong-un, he is all about the 21st century,” Rodman told Cuomo. “Donald Trump is going to make sure … our hands are always open because, as Americans, we let so many people around the world join us to be happy.”

Rodman, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, explained that following several trips to North Korea, he attempted to get then-President Barack Obama to hear the messages Kim Jong-un gave him to bring to the United States.